Border officers in California have found a Mexican national hidden inside the seats of a car, crossing into the United States, Fox News reports.

The discovery, made on Monday, has since been branded an “inhumane” smuggling by the Southern Californian border patrol. According to the publication, an 18-year-old woman - whose name has not been released - was spotted driving a black Mitsubishi.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection]]

She was stopped at the Calexico West port of entry shortly after 1AM, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has since confirmed. The woman, a US citizen, and her vehicle were then sent for further inspection by a booth officer.

The car was examined by a CBP canine team, which indicated an issue in the rear seat, according to the border officers. It was then that a 48-year-old man was found hidden within “a non-factory compartment” underneath the seat cushions.

[[imagecaption|| Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection]]

The man was taken out of the car and transferred to a secured facility, per Fox News. The female driver was arrested and is currently being held at the Imperial County Jail, until further notice, the border agents said, per Fox News.

“The primary focus of our national security mission is to protect the American homeland from all threats,” said CBP Director of Field Operations for San Diego, Pete Flores, according to Fox News. “Although we routinely encounter individuals attempting to enter our country illegally, this incident serves as another example of the inhumane tactics human smugglers will utilize in order to circumvent our laws,” Flores continued.

This comes a month after border agents found 36 illegal immigrants hidden under gravel in a dump truck in Texas.

Related - remember the Latina border patrol officer who wowed the internet with her striking good looks, and sent fans wild with her modelesque social media posts?

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California border patrol finds man hidden in car seats in 'inhumane' smuggling